Book picks similar to
The Mystery of Craven Manor by Joy Wodhams


ebooks
mystery-thriller-suspense-recent
children
sc-sr

Tiny Titan - One Small Gift


Ann Yurcek - 2006
    Becca surprised everyone with a rare genetic disorder called Noonan's syndrome. As Becca struggled to survive her family plunged into poverty. Their remarkable journey out of poverty is a story of it's own, but within the pages lie secrets much more important we all should know.Tiny Titan by Ann Yurcek launches a new kind of Mother’s Day story for all the countless mothers in America who dedicate their lives to exceptional children with special medical and mental health care needs. The story and the children are real. BOOK ONE - BECCA'S STORYIn 1989, the Yurceks sixth child, Becca was born with a rare genetic disorder, and while she struggled to survive, her family tumbled into poverty. This is the true and inspirational story of their journey out of poverty and the many miracles they received along the way. BOOK 2 - GIVING BACK In the spirit of giving back, they adopted and reunited five siblings separated in foster care. And for their new children they fought for resources in mental health and child welfare with the same tenacity they had fought for Becca in the medical world. Others' said their journey was impossible, but they proved them wrong.Winner Gold Mom's Choice - Best Adult Non-Fiction5 Star Dove AwardBooks & Authors - Best InspirationalTINY TITAN SAMPLE CHAPTERBy Ann Yurcek -9- Christmas I sunk into despair. The holiday was fast approaching and Christmas was the last thing on our minds with Becca critically ill in the PICU and everyone else sick too. There was no money for gifts, and there was no time to buy or make anything. I was sick, tired and depressed over the circumstances we found ourselves in. If the phone rang, I was afraid to answer it because it might carry the news that Becca was worsening or no longer here. The phone was a constant reminder of trouble. It rang with bill collectors waiting for money. It rang when medical personnel had more dreaded news or another crisis for Becca. My emotions rose and fell like tidal waves, up, up, up and down, down, down. I tried not to think; not thinking was how I coped. It was like the stairs I ran at the hospital, up and down, and then I’d stop and sit, empty and mindless. I could not think about my children going without gifts at Christmas, but our lives were impossibly out of control. We had fallen into a dark hole due to no fault of my innocent children. At any moment they were going to lose their new baby sister. They were caught in the tidal wave of catastrophic illness when they needed a Santa most to give them hope. How would I explain to my children that Santa forgot them?I was used to planning ahead and beginning in July bought two presents each month to cover birthdays and Christmas. Over the years my frugal plan had worked flawlessly. I squirreled away the hottest toys for Christmas gifts with early season purchases. While other families were school shopping I was making wishes come true. It was a challenge to make my kids birthdays and Christmas memorable. I love the holidays and I began to bargain shop for Marissa’s September birthday gift. I budgeted a little each month until Christmas, finding sale and clearance treasures, completing my shopping race under budget. In November we celebrated Jim, Nathan and Ian’s birthdays followed in December by Matt’s birthday, and then Kristy’s birthday in early January. The gifts I bought with Jim’s carpet points guaranteed the boys November birthday gifts. Matt at age three was easy; all I needed was something big. Big for my little kids were exciting and ten dollars went a long way. Other than that I had nothing.

The Girl with the Green-Tinted Hair


Gavin Whyte - 2013
    If you enjoyed Antoine de Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince, then you'll love this. Described as, "Moving", "Uplifting", and "Enlightening", The Girl with the Green-Tinted Hair is a spiritual fable about personal growth and about seeing how truly magical life is. When a boy finds a girl singing and dancing under his favourite tree he didn't realise he had been chosen to be the one-off witness to something out of this world. The boy is shown how to live in joy and is reminded of how to pursue his life's calling. His fear of ageing is overcome and dying is no longer what it seems - all because of the girl with the green-tinted hair. In this truly comforting tale of wonder and intrigue, which has been called a "hidden gem", we discover for ourselves how to live in harmony with that which is forever flowing; that which we call life.

The Golden Compass Graphic Novel, Volume 1


Stéphane Melchior-Durand - 2014
      Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her dæmon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle—a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, and a mysterious substance known as Dust. As she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win—or to lose—this more-than-mortal battle.   The stunning full-color art offers both new and returning readers a chance to experience the story of Lyra, an ordinary girl with an extraordinary role to play in the fates of multiple worlds, in an entirely new way.   “Superb . . . all-stops-out thrilling.” —The Washington Post

Beewitched


Julia Dweck - 2013
    Beetrice is an ordinary girl with one simple wish: she dreams of bee-coming a bee. Beetrice reads about bees, acts like a bee, dresses like a bee, and is even a B-student in school. Then one day, a mysterious hive, with the word "Bee-ware," beckons her near with one golden drop of honey. This is a bee-witching tale full of excitement and fun. Enter its pages to bee-gin the adventure.

Johnny B. Fast: The Super Spy 1


Tom Doganoglu - 2011
    Fast is winning his way into the hearts and minds of spy kids from ages 8 to 88 (and even older): Excerpt: “I’m Johnny B. Fast,” he said, holding out his hand. “And I’m a super spy.” Nancy looked at him for a moment and then burst out laughing again. Johnny felt really foolish holding out his hand for her to shake while she was laughing at him. He slowly retracted his hand. “Thanks,” he mumbled. She quickly composed herself. “I’m sorry. I never met a spy who introduced themselves as a spy before.” Johnny B. Fast: The Super Spy 1: Johnny Clunker was an awkward and shy kid who kept mostly to himself. But when the school day ended he became Johnny B. Fast, a super spy. Utilizing super technology so advanced that it seems like magic, Johnny and his friends battle the United Order, a ruthless organization trying to acquire the Super Chip – a computer processor so powerful it can virtually hold the world’s technology hostage. But when one of his fellow classmates, Nancy Korrins, is also revealed to be a spy kid who was trained by the world’s most deadly and advanced agent, Johnny has his hands full trying to figure out if he can trust her to help him capture the Super Chip, or if he has to fight her as his greatest rival. Don't miss the other books in the Johnny B. Fast: The Super Spy series: Johnny B. Fast: The Super Spy 2 - Available Now! Johnny B. Fast: The Super Spy 3 - Available Now! "As a teacher, I understand the importance of books competing with other forms of entertainment. These novels bring out the love of reading in everyone." Tom Doganoglu

The Thirteenth Unicorn


W.D. Newman - 2011
    It is a world where elves and dwarves are locked in mortal combat against a witch who is trying to free the last surviving wizard from exile. The witch has been defeated once before but with the combined power of the wizard, no one will be able to stand against them. Much to Ben's dismay, he learns that he is the one foretold in the ancient elfin prophecies to bring about the downfall of the witch and save this exciting new world from destruction.

Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse


Chris Riddell - 2013
    She lives in Ghastly-Gorm Hall with her father, Lord Goth, lots of servants and at least half a dozen ghosts, but she hasn't got any friends to explore her enormous, creepy house with.Then, one night, everything changes when Ada meets a ghostly mouse called Ishmael. Together they set out to solve the mystery of the strange happenings at Ghastly-Gorm Hall, and get a lot more than they bargained for...

Nightmares!


Jason Segel - 2014
    And now waking up is even worse!Charlie Laird has several problems:1. His dad married a woman he is sure moonlights as a witch.2. He had to move into her purple mansion, which is not a place you want to find yourself after dark.3. He can’t remember the last time sleeping wasn’t a nightmarish prospect. Like even a nap.What Charlie doesn’t know is that his problems are about to get a whole lot more real. Nightmares can ruin a good night’s sleep, but when they start slipping out of your dreams and into the waking world—that’s a line that should never be crossed. And when your worst nightmares start to come true . . . well, that’s something only Charlie can face. And he’s going to need all the help he can get, or it might just be lights-out for Charlie Laird. For good.[This is the first book in a trilogy.]

The Boy Who Dreamt the World


Jethro Punter - 2018
    Adam is living a very ordinary life until he becomes aware of the link between the worlds and discovers that, as a Daydreamer, he is one of the very few people who can travel freely between the two and achieve impossible things. You would think that being in control of your dreams would be fun. But when both worlds are threatened by a new and growing danger and when Nightmares not only roam the dream world but also start chasing him even while he is awake, Adam realises that he will need all of his new found powers just to survive the night. With the help of a very unusual band of friends Adam now has to save both worlds, discover more about his past and, if he can, try and avoid yet another detention.The Boy who Dreamt the World is the first book in the Daydreamer Chronicles series.

I Survived Series 8 Book Set: The Sinking of the Titanic / The Shark Attacks / Hurricane Katrina / The Bombing of Pearl Harbor / The San Francisco Earthquake / The Attacks of September 11th / The Battle of Gettysburg / The Japanese Tsunami


Lauren Tarshis - 2011
    This set of 8 books includes: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912; I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916; I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005; I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941; I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906; I Survived the Attacks of September 11th, 2001; I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863; I Survived The Japanese Tsunami, 2011

The Mouse and the Christmas Cake


McLoughlin Brothers - 1864
    A PRETTY story I will tell, Of Nib, a little Mouse ...

Leo: A Ghost Story


Mac Barnett - 2015
    He likes to draw, he makes delicious snacks, and most people can't even see him. Because Leo is also a ghost. When a new family moves into his home and Leo's efforts to welcome them are misunderstood, Leo decides it is time to leave and see the world. That is how he meets Jane, a kid with a tremendous imagination and an open position for a worthy knight. That is how Leo and Jane become friends. And that is when their adventures begin. This charming tale of friendship—from two of the best young minds in picture books: the author of the Caldecott Honor–winning Extra Yarn and the illustrator of the Bologna Ragazzi Award–winning Josephine—is destined to become a modern classic that will delight readers for years to come.

Tovi the Penguin Goes Away for Christmas


Janina Rossiter - 2014
    They're very excited! But will Santa find them? Let's find out... Tovi books are designed in a simple animated way to give young readers the impression of watching a short film where Tovi and his friends play out their adventures. The books are aimed at children aged 2-6, who hopefully will join Tovi in his mini-adventures, and learn something about life and the world around them.As the lovable characters in these books share a whole range of experiences, they learn about sharing, about helping each other, and most important, they learn the value of friendship. You'll be surprised what an exciting time little penguins can have!Come and like us on Facebook. You will find updates about new books and free downloads.https://www.facebook.com/ToviThePenguin

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch


Julie Abe - 2020
    If she doesn't, she'll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it's a simple enough test:ONE: Help your town, do good all around.TWO: Live there for one moon, don't leave too soon.THREE: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep.When she lands on the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she's worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her "semi-magical fixes" repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. Only, Eva's bit of magic may not be enough when the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she's grown to love. Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster or Auteri and her dreams of becoming a witch will wash away with the storm.

Flunked


Jen Calonita - 2015
    Gilly wouldn't call herself wicked, exactly...but when you have five little brothers and sisters and live in a run-down boot, you have to get creative to make ends meet. Gilly's a pretty good thief (if she does say so herself).Until she gets caught.Gilly's sentenced to three months at Fairy Tale Reform School where all of the teachers are former (super-scary) villains like the Big Bad Wolf, the Evil Queen, and Cinderella's Wicked Stepmother. Harsh. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there's more to this school than its heroic mission. There's a battle brewing and Gilly has to wonder just how good these bad guys really are?